Houston is Closed!

In not being argumentative or saying our ice is worse than your ice, but we do drive on ice frequently up here because we have to and definitely as safely was we can. Everyone drives to work here and I'm not in NYC, but a medium size town. Unless there's a state of emergency called, we have to go to work. I believe the last time my DH got off work for weather was when we got 32 inches of snow in 24 hours and never for an ice storm. But schools will cancel for bad ice storms and snow storms over a few inches.

Sometimes our snow storms begin as freezing rain, like this past storm, and sometimes it's sleet or it snows when the ground is a little warmer and it makes a slushy-snowy mess that then freezes into ice when the temp drops. Today our side streets are still snow and ice covered but the highways were melted from the sun and traffic enough to be wet. It's now dropped to 11 degrees and those highways are icy. And we do get black ice a lot, which is tricky to drive on and worse to walk on as most of our sidewalks become so slick that people fall. Been in the ER before for that!

I agree that ice is harder to drive on, but we do have to drive on it pretty regularly. We are also so used to it that we prepare differently and stock up on ice melt and our roads do get treated. And a 4 wheel drive vehicle is a must for a lot of us.

No matter where we are, we can agree that winter weather is a pain to deal with.

Northeastern Wisconsinite here. Our side roads haven't been clear of ice for at least the last 6 weeks. We have to drive on it pretty regularly as well. The highways are fine (and stained white from all the salt,) but most other roads suck!
 
I hate seeing people argue about this. I agree it's what you're used to, and we all have stuff to deal with.

I hope Houston and any other areas that were hit with things they aren't used to are doing better now.

Not trying to one-up or anything, just commenting. I have a job that requires I get to work no matter what. An essential employee. The back of my work ID is an Emergency Pass so even if there is an official Weather Emergency and people are asked to stay off roads, I can get through. And proud of the fact that in 30+ years in my current job (and in any job I've ever had, actually), I've never missed a day of work because of snow or other weather conditions. I have to drive in whatever comes my way, and sometimes it can be really bad.

The worst was in the April 1st storm of 1997. I was pregnant with twins and working a night shift. I hopped into my Jeep as usual, but when I got to the highway, it had not been plowed yet, and snow gusts were so heavy, visibility was only about a foot in front of me. And snow was blowing right towards me as I was driving so I could barely see at all. Even if I'd wanted to turn around at that point, I couldn't have. And normally, back then, there would be some other cars or trucks still on the road, but that night, there was nobody, and snow was accumulating so fast, there were no other tracks on the road to follow. So I was essentially blinded and alone. And for the first time I actually felt pretty scared, mainly because I couldn't be exactly sure where the bridge abutments were. So I just trudged away slowly and eventually came to an area that had more light, more cars, and had been plowed. But that was awful.

The best thing that's happened in our area (MA/Boston) just in the past couple of years, is that during really big storms, the governor will shut down roads overnight (and rarely, during the day) so that plows can do their jobs, mainly because it is so darn congested here and the city can experience gridlock when it gets like that. Our roads were built on cow paths little by little so not a lot of urban planning went into them. With roads closed, it's generally not a bad ride at all. But one of the downsides of living here is that cars rot out from underneath due to all the salt that's used (in addition to the salty air), even with frequent undercarriage washes, but what can you do.

Anyway, this week we also had frozen rain that created ice conditions on roads. I didn't go out much because I was sick, but I saw a lot of reports of sliding and spin outs, accidents, etc. Lots of people had to be out on roads, though, like it or not, including DH. Both of my kids had to be out in it, and although they've gotten pretty good with snow, they're not exactly used to ice, so we warned them to take it slow and go into turns at almost a crawl. Thankfully they did ok. Unfortunately my FIL went out to get his mail and slipped on ice and broke his ankle. I took a spill on ice myself a couple of years ago when I was walking out to my car and I was bruised up pretty good for quite a while.

So be safe, everyone!
 
We live in Katy, just west of Houston. We moved here from MI 10 years ago and stayed off the roads because of other drivers. My kids didn't have school on Tuesday and Wednesday. Our porch and walkway were covered in ice. We got sleet most of Tuesday, but since the temperature never got above freezing, it didn't melt, so the icy conditions stayed through Wednesday. Everything's back to normal today.

The thing is, down here, native Texans don't really understand how ice can impact roads. There are no signs before bridges warning of possible ice, so drivers don't exercise caution going over them. We're good friends with a local constable and he said they got many calls about cars in the ditch or in accidents going over a bridge or just past a bridge. You would think that not being used to driving in ice would lead people to be more cautious, but many drivers don't understand that just because you can't see the ice doesn't mean it's not there.

But it is all relative to region. Down here, people are pros when it comes to preparing for and understanding conditions during a hurricane or major rainstorm. When I talk to friends and family in MI who have never experienced a hurricane or flooding, they don't have a clue what to expect or how to handle it. They thought the worst thing with a hurricane is losing power. Same with heat and humidity. MI does get humid, but not for 100+ days with temps in the 100s. It's funny how much complaining I hear when temps reach 90 for a few days. Just like they think it's funny when I talk about it being cold here when temps dip below 45. It really is all relative.
 
I hate seeing people argue about this. I agree it's what you're used to, and we all have stuff to deal with.

I hope Houston and any other areas that were hit with things they aren't used to are doing better now.

Not trying to one-up or anything, just commenting. I have a job that requires I get to work no matter what. An essential employee. The back of my work ID is an Emergency Pass so even if there is an official Weather Emergency and people are asked to stay off roads, I can get through. And proud of the fact that in 30+ years in my current job (and in any job I've ever had, actually), I've never missed a day of work because of snow or other weather conditions. I have to drive in whatever comes my way, and sometimes it can be really bad.

The worst was in the April 1st storm of 1997. I was pregnant with twins and working a night shift. I hopped into my Jeep as usual, but when I got to the highway, it had not been plowed yet, and snow gusts were so heavy, visibility was only about a foot in front of me. And snow was blowing right towards me as I was driving so I could barely see at all. Even if I'd wanted to turn around at that point, I couldn't have. And normally, back then, there would be some other cars or trucks still on the road, but that night, there was nobody, and snow was accumulating so fast, there were no other tracks on the road to follow. So I was essentially blinded and alone. And for the first time I actually felt pretty scared, mainly because I couldn't be exactly sure where the bridge abutments were. So I just trudged away slowly and eventually came to an area that had more light, more cars, and had been plowed. But that was awful.

The best thing that's happened in our area (MA/Boston) just in the past couple of years, is that during really big storms, the governor will shut down roads overnight (and rarely, during the day) so that plows can do their jobs, mainly because it is so darn congested here and the city can experience gridlock when it gets like that. Our roads were built on cow paths little by little so not a lot of urban planning went into them. With roads closed, it's generally not a bad ride at all. But one of the downsides of living here is that cars rot out from underneath due to all the salt that's used (in addition to the salty air), even with frequent undercarriage washes, but what can you do.

Anyway, this week we also had frozen rain that created ice conditions on roads. I didn't go out much because I was sick, but I saw a lot of reports of sliding and spin outs, accidents, etc. Lots of people had to be out on roads, though, like it or not, including DH. Both of my kids had to be out in it, and although they've gotten pretty good with snow, they're not exactly used to ice, so we warned them to take it slow and go into turns at almost a crawl. Thankfully they did ok. Unfortunately my FIL went out to get his mail and slipped on ice and broke his ankle. I took a spill on ice myself a couple of years ago when I was walking out to my car and I was bruised up pretty good for quite a while.

So be safe, everyone!
That’s a good point. I would say probably most here have to go to work too in this. Most businesses are open. These weather emergencies usually only effect govt & schools. I’m not anymore, but I was essential personnel for years. Had to work through many hurricanes & actually had to work more b/c we also had to work special needs shelters. I hated it though b/c my family would evacuate & I would stay here or they wouldn’t evacuate b/c I had to stay here. It’s nice not being essential anymore ;)
 


That’s a good point. I would say probably most here have to go to work too in this. Most businesses are open. These weather emergencies usually only effect govt & schools. I’m not anymore, but I was essential personnel for years. Had to work through many hurricanes & actually had to work more b/c we also had to work special needs shelters. I hated it though b/c my family would evacuate & I would stay here or they wouldn’t evacuate b/c I had to stay here. It’s nice not being essential anymore ;)



Luckily a lot of places closed yesterday. I feel bad for anyone who was forced to go to work. I would have quit.
 
Luckily a lot of places closed yesterday. I feel bad for anyone who was forced to go to work. I would have quit.
Yeah, but I think y’all had it worse up there? We had some closed roads but not as bad as y’all. I said most were open, but I really don’t know that. But, I know a lot were.
 
Yeah, but I think y’all had it worse up there? We had some closed roads but not as bad as y’all. I said most were open, but I really don’t know that. But, I know a lot were.


Yeah I-10 is still closed from Lafayette to Kenner.

As for NOLA I know the CCC was closed for a while yesterday, too.
 


Yeah I-10 is still closed from Lafayette to Kenner.

As for NOLA I know the CCC was closed for a while yesterday, too.
Wow! It’s still closed?? I didn’t know that. Yeah think CCC was closed in the morning so were other elevated roads. My DH was off yesterday, but they’re open today. I’m Jeff Parish schools so we are still closed.
 
We live in Katy, just west of Houston. We moved here from MI 10 years ago and stayed off the roads because of other drivers. My kids didn't have school on Tuesday and Wednesday. Our porch and walkway were covered in ice. We got sleet most of Tuesday, but since the temperature never got above freezing, it didn't melt, so the icy conditions stayed through Wednesday. Everything's back to normal today.

The thing is, down here, native Texans don't really understand how ice can impact roads. There are no signs before bridges warning of possible ice, so drivers don't exercise caution going over them. We're good friends with a local constable and he said they got many calls about cars in the ditch or in accidents going over a bridge or just past a bridge. You would think that not being used to driving in ice would lead people to be more cautious, but many drivers don't understand that just because you can't see the ice doesn't mean it's not there.

But it is all relative to region. Down here, people are pros when it comes to preparing for and understanding conditions during a hurricane or major rainstorm. When I talk to friends and family in MI who have never experienced a hurricane or flooding, they don't have a clue what to expect or how to handle it. They thought the worst thing with a hurricane is losing power. Same with heat and humidity. MI does get humid, but not for 100+ days with temps in the 100s. It's funny how much complaining I hear when temps reach 90 for a few days. Just like they think it's funny when I talk about it being cold here when temps dip below 45. It really is all relative.


I am also in Katy. I didn’t leave my house for two days. I would never try to drive in ice, but I definitely know how to prepare for a hurricane.
 
Ugh! Central Virginia here. They just called another snow day for the schools. Our older dd got in an accident early this morning, driving in for work training. She is fine, but dh said the car is totaled. He stopped by the garage they towed it to, and started calculating just the parts cost.

BTW, I used to work for a brokerage, and we never, ever canceled for a snow day. We had to be open when the stock market was open. I can remember driving in the ice, and taking alternate routes home when the highway was covered in accidents.

But I never had to drive to work in the middle of the night the way people who work at hospitals, etc do. I always thought that would be really stressful, and I'd try to find a budget hotel close by.
 
Just heard on our local news that temps have not been this low for this long in our area in 20 years. And our pipes can’t be buried as low as they can be up north so that’s also part of why this is such a big mess. Now our roads are fine, but schools are still closed b/c there is no water or low water pressure with boil water advisories all over the area b/c of so many busted pipes. 2 major hospitals don’t have water right now. It’s actually more of mess now as temps rise & things melt & leaks are detected.
 
Ugh! Central Virginia here. They just called another snow day for the schools. Our older dd got in an accident early this morning, driving in for work training. She is fine, but dh said the car is totaled. He stopped by the garage they towed it to, and started calculating just the parts cost.

BTW, I used to work for a brokerage, and we never, ever canceled for a snow day. We had to be open when the stock market was open. I can remember driving in the ice, and taking alternate routes home when the highway was covered in accidents.

But I never had to drive to work in the middle of the night the way people who work at hospitals, etc do. I always thought that would be really stressful, and I'd try to find a budget hotel close by.
I hope your daughter is ok! Totaled, wow!

I work in Boston. There aren't a lot of budget hotels there. Some do offer discounts for medical personnel during storms. I've done it once during a blizzard when I had to work back to back shifts, but even the discounted rate was over $150/night (plus tax and $30 to park; I probably won't do that again). They do offer us spots in the hospital to stay over, but you're in a room sometimes with two or three others trying to sleep. No thanks!
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top